Khuhro says centre lacks numbers for 28th amendment

KARACHI:

PPP Sindh President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said on Friday that the PML-N-led federal government lacked the two-thirds majority required in parliament to pass the proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment, warning that debate over the legislation could undermine the country's future.

He also said that governor's rule in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was not intended to continue for an extended period and could be withdrawn if political parties reached a consensus on an action plan to address the province's security situation. Khuhro was speaking at a press conference in a committee room of the Sindh Assembly. On the occasion, Aiman Saleem, daughter of former cricketer Saleem Yousuf, announced that she was joining the PPP.

Khuhro said discussions about the 28th Constitutional Amendment were premature, arguing that any constitutional amendment required a two-thirds majority in parliament. Even with the support of its other allies, he claimed, the federal government did not have the numbers needed to pass the proposed legislation.

Responding to a question about governor's rule in K-P, Khuhro said the province's security crisis had persisted for years. Under the Constitution, he said, governor's rule could be imposed when law and order deteriorated beyond acceptable limits.